Method and apparatus for lasting open-toe shoes



Nov. 10, 1953 P. PE'PE 2,658,215 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LASTING OPEN-TOE SHOES Filed June 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVE/VI'OR PASQUALE PEPE Nov. 10, 1953 P. PEPE 2,658,215

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LASTING OPEN-TOE SHOES Filed June 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PASQUALE PEPE Patented Nov. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LAS-TING OPEN-TOE SHOES Pasquale Pepe, Everett, Mass., assignor of onehalf to Myer Itzkowitz, Malden, Mass.

Application June 21 1951, Serial No. 232,703

7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to shoe making and more particularly to improvements in method and apparatus for lasting open-toe shoes. The lasting of open-toe shoes has heretofore presented special problems. Such shoes generally have a strap or sling back, and it is difficult properly to tension the upper during the preliminary tacking or staking in order that when the sides of the vamp are lasted, the top edges of the upper along the instep will not be distorted or pulled out of a straight line. Also, if the upper is not initially taut, it is found that the lasting operation leaves the upper relatively loose on the last, particularly in the instep region, resulting in an improperly fitting shoe.

According to the present invention, the operations are carried out in such a manner that the upper is readily stretched taut prior to the lasting operations on the sides of the vamp, with the result that said lasting operations cannot distort the upper but instead properly stretch the side margins of the vamp to leave the upper snugly fitting the last in all regions. To this end, the invention involves the provision of a tool by which the initial positioning, and stretching of the upper on the last may be quickly and effectively performed by the operator, so as to leave the upper suitably prepared for the subsequent lasting of the side margins of the vamp. Through the utilization of my improved tool and method, it is possible'to achieve greatly superior fit and appearance of the shoe with less risk of damaging or marring the upper end and without need to employ certain of the machin operations heretofore deemed necessary.

In the drawings illustratingv my invention, Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing an open-teed upper with its toe portion secured to an innersole and with both parts in their initial position on a last; Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing my improved lasting tool in position on the last and with the upper partially lasted; Fig. 4 is a side View of the parts following the completion of the longitudinal tensioning of the upper; Fig. 5 is a detailed view in side elevation of my improved lasting tool; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5', and Fig. 7 is a bottom view of said tool.

In carrying out the invention, the upper l2 and the innersole M are assembled by securing to the innersole the inturned margins [6 of the upper adjacent the open toe region. As an aid to the operator in properly positioning the parts,

2 the innersole may conveniently be prepared with marks I8 which serve as guide lines with which the inturned tabs l6 of the upper maybe registered while the parts are being secured by tacks 20 or other suitable fastening means.

The innersole and attached upper are then assembled on a last 22 of conventional character; the toe portion of the last being thrust firmly into the upper while the innersole is tacked to the last in the toe and heel regions.

The next step is to stretch the upper longitudinally, while at the same time bringing the heel strap 24 into proper position around the heel of the last. To accomplish this in the most effective manner, without risk of'damage to the upper and without the expenditure of appreci able force by the operator, I'provide a tool especially designed for this purpose.

The tool consists of a generally wedge-shaped block of metal 28' or other suitable material, having an approximately elliptical contour at its base (see Fig. '7), and tapering upwardly to an apex 30 or point. The block is provided with a pin 32 secured in the baseof the block and projecting downwardly, the pin being of a size to be received in the usual spindle hole 31 in the heel portion of the last. The block islikewise provided with depending ears 36 which embrace the sides of the last to prevent the block fromtwisting or turning after it has been placed in position on the last with the pin 32' in the spindle hole.

It will be observed in Figs. 3 and 4 that the contour of the block when viewed inside elevation is slightlycurved so that when the block is mounted on the last, the block in effect provides a continuation of the curve of the heel of the last. It will likewise be observed that the pin 32 is not placed exactly at the center of the block, but is offset slightly towards one end. This olTs'et permits the block to be employed with lasts of various sizes, while still providing adequate correspondence between the block contour and the heel of the last. For the smaller sizes of shoes, the block will be mounted with the shorter base portion of the block extending rearwardly toward the heel of the last, while with larger sizes of shoes, in which the distance from the spindle hole to the rear of the last is greater, the block will be turned to bring the longer base dimension toward the heel.

Ac r ly, when the upper and insole have been assembled on the last, as shown. in Figs. 1 and 2, the last is turned over and my special tool'pl'aced' on the heel as shown in Fig. 3, the

3 block being turned so that the rear margin or contour of the block substantially coincides with the contour of the heel so that the heel in effect forms a continuation of the block contour. The heel strap f the shoe is then adjusted so that the strap can just be slipped onto the top of the block adjacent its apex. Once this has been done, the operator can then readily force by hand the strap down the back of the block and onto the heel of the last, into substantially the position shown in Fig. 4. At this point, it will be found that the upper is strongly tensioned longitudinally, so that the vamp is pulled snug over the fore part of the last while the line of the upper along the instep of the shoe is in a straight line with the material stretched tight. The substantial tensioning which results during the downward movement of the back strap of the upper is due both to the curving profile of the block, and to the broadening of the wedge block from top to bottom, so that the tightening of the upper is substantially if not entirely completed before the heel strap is transferred from the block to the last itself. Indeed, the tightening of the upper is so readily accomplished by the combined wedging and sliding action that the upper, at the point of transfer from the block to the last, is far tighter than would be the case if it were attempted either to draw and buckle the strap around the heel of the last, or to pull a previously buckled strap onto the last from an initially untensioned condition.

Once the heel strap has been brought to the approximate position shown in Fig. 4, the block is lifted from the last and the shoe is ready for presentation to the usual side-lasting machine by which the unsecured margins 40 of the vamp are pulled in over the insole and secured automatically. Due to the very great longitudinal tension existing in the upper as a result of my improved tensioning method, the lasting of the vamp margins does not result in distorting the shoe upper or in pulling the margin along the instep out of the desired straight line, but instead, serves to draw the upper material into snug engagement with the last even along the instep region where conventional methods so frequently fail to draw the upper into a proper fit with the last.

The new tool thus permits a substantial improvement in the effectiveness of the lasting operation on shoes of the open toe, strap-back type, while actually simplifying the overall operations. For example, the conventional method involves tacking the heel strap of the upper to the last at the estimated center point of the strap, then pulling the toe of the vamp as far forward as possible on the last, using instrumentalities which grip a tab of the lining, while at the same time tacking the sides of the vamp along the toe portion, and thereafter in another machine carrying out the lasting of the side margins of the vamp. Because of the difficulty in getting a proper grip on the upper and in securing the margins to the last while maintaining proper tension, it is very diflicult to draw the vamp into properly tightened condition by this method.

By my method and using my special tool, the longitudinal stretching of the vamp is carried out independently of the securing of the toe portion of the vamp to the inner sole. By securing the inner sole and toe portion of the upper before any tension is put on, it is a simple matter to secure the parts in symmetrical relation. Also, since the strap is free to adjust itself around the heel of the shoe while it is being slid down the block and onto the last, uniform tension automatically results in each side of the upper, and the symmetry is therefore preserved while the stretching of the upper takes place. These factors have proved of substantial value in actual experience, so that the number of rejects due to improper lasting has been appreciably reduced.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in terms of a particular type of shoe, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited, but comprehends that the method and tool may be employed in the manufacture of other types and styles of shoes, wherever the special features and advantages of my invention are applicable.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base, means projecting from the block for insertion in the spindle hole of a last for mounting the block on the heel portion of the last with a margin of the block sloping downwardly and rearwardly into substantial correspondence with the heel of the last to enable the heel strap of an upper to be transferred under tension from the block to the last.

2. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base portion and an apex, the block having a sloping contour from apex to base, means for positioning the block on a last with the base on the top of the heel portion of the last and with the sloping contour extending downwardly and rearwardly from the apex of the block into substantial correspondence with the margin of the heel to enable the heel strap of an upper to be slid down the block and transferred under tension from the block to the last, said means being carried by the block and adapted to engage the spindle hole in the last.

3. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base portion and an apex, the block having a sloping contour from apex to base, and means for positioning the block on the heel portion of a last comprising a pin projecting downwardly from the base and adapted to be received in the spindle hole in the last.

4. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base portion and an apex, the block having a sloping contour from apex to base, and means for positioning the block on the heel portion of a last comprising a pin projecting downwardly from the base and adapted to be received in the spindle hole in the last, said block having depending ears to embrace the sides of the last for positioning the block against rotation.

5. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base portion and an apex, the block having a sloping contour from apex to each end of the base, and means for positioning the block on the heel portion of a last comprising a pin projecting downwardly from the base of the block and adapted to be inserted in the spindle hole of the last, the pin being positioned nearer one end of the base than the other.

6. A tool for lasting strap back shoes comprising a block of generally triangular shape having a base portion and an apex, the block having a convex sloping contour from apex to the end of the base and the thickness of the block increasing from apex to base, means for positioning the block on the heel of a last comprising a pin adapted to be inserted in the spindle hole of the last, the pin being disposed in the block to position the block with its margin in substantial correspondence with the contour of the heel of the last, the block having a contour to tension longitudinally a lasted upper when the heel strap is slid downwardly from the apex of the block onto the heel of the last.

7. The method of lasting an open-toe strap back shoe which comprises providing an upper and an insole, the upper having a vamp portion provided with separate tabs at the toe, securing 6 the tabs to the insole in predetermined spaced position, assembling the secured upper and insole on a last with the toe of the last registering with the toe opening between vamp and insole, mounting a wedge block on the heel of the last with the rear margin of the block in substantial correspondence with the contour of the heel of the last, securing the heel strap around the upper portion of the wedge block, and thereafter urging the strap down the block and onto the heel of the last in longitudinally tensioned condition.

PASQUALE PEPE.

No references cited. 

